Should Mike Lowell stay or go?

How you answer that question probably has more to do with how you feel about David Ortiz than anything else.

If you think David Ortiz will bounce back with a decent season, then you’re likely comfortable with trading Lowell, as the Red Sox clearly want to do. But if you think Ortiz is done, than the idea of keeping Lowell around for insurance seems prudent.

So will Big Papi bounce back? God only knows. But there are indications, at least, that he might. Or that he, in fact, did. Here are stats for Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez after June 1 last year:

A-Rod: 23 HRs, 83 RBI, .292 BA, .400 OBP, .520 SGP

Papi: 27 HRs, 81 RBI, .264 BA, .356 OBP, .548 SGP

Relatively similar numbers, but A-Rod’s season is considered an unqualified success, while Ortiz’s 2009 is seen as proof that he’s past his prime. Both players are the same age, by the way.

So maybe the Red Sox should trade Lowell. Adrian Beltre is now the third baseman. The team has other solid bats on the bench, players like Bill Hall and Jeremy Hermida. And what’s the point of having Lowell, clearly still an everyday player, sitting around waiting for Ortiz to fail?

But if they do trade Lowell and Ortiz struggles, it’ll be ironic if the Red Sox find themselves needing to trade for a bat.